Scutellaria tuberosa
Encyclopedia
Scutellaria tuberosa is a species of flowering plant in the mint family
known by the common name Danny's skullcap. It is native to western North America from Oregon
through California
to Baja California
, where it is widespread throughout the mountain and coastal regions; it is absent from the deserts and the Central Valley of California. It can be found in forest and woodland habitat, and a variety of open habitat types, often appearing in areas recently cleared by wildfire
. It is a perennial herb producing an erect stem or cluster of stems up to about 25 centimeters tall from a root system with tuber
s. The stems are coated in short, spreading hairs. The oval leaves are oppositely arranged. The lowest leaves are borne on short petioles
. Flowers emerge from the leaf axils. Each flower is held in a calyx of sepal
s with a large ridge or dome-shaped appendage on the upper part. The tubular corolla is one to two centimeters long and has a large upper and lower lip. The upper lip is folded into a beaklike protrusion and the lower has three wide lobes. The corolla is deep purple-blue, usually with a white patch or mottling on the lower lip.
Lamiaceae
The mints, taxonomically known as Lamiaceae or Labiatae, are a family of flowering plants. They have traditionally been considered closely related to Verbenaceae, but in the 1990s, phylogenetic studies suggested that many genera classified in Verbenaceae belong instead in Lamiaceae...
known by the common name Danny's skullcap. It is native to western North America from Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
through California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
, where it is widespread throughout the mountain and coastal regions; it is absent from the deserts and the Central Valley of California. It can be found in forest and woodland habitat, and a variety of open habitat types, often appearing in areas recently cleared by wildfire
Wildfire
A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area. Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, squirrel fire, vegetation fire, veldfire, and wilkjjofire may be used to describe the same...
. It is a perennial herb producing an erect stem or cluster of stems up to about 25 centimeters tall from a root system with tuber
Tuber
Tubers are various types of modified plant structures that are enlarged to store nutrients. They are used by plants to survive the winter or dry months and provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growing season and they are a means of asexual reproduction...
s. The stems are coated in short, spreading hairs. The oval leaves are oppositely arranged. The lowest leaves are borne on short petioles
Petiole (botany)
In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...
. Flowers emerge from the leaf axils. Each flower is held in a calyx of sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s with a large ridge or dome-shaped appendage on the upper part. The tubular corolla is one to two centimeters long and has a large upper and lower lip. The upper lip is folded into a beaklike protrusion and the lower has three wide lobes. The corolla is deep purple-blue, usually with a white patch or mottling on the lower lip.